Semaphore-operating mechanism.



C. W. WARD; SEMAPHORE OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 29. 19I2.

1 #532,739, Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

WITNESSES A T hiFliGE.

CHARLES WE; WARD, 01E LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

snuarnosaorsm me MEGHANISM- To aZZfwhom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, OnAnLns W. Wane, a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Lakewod, in the county of Quyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Semaphore-Operating Mechanism, of which the" ijollowing is a specification, reference be ing had therein to the accompanying draw-' g a arm a plvotally supported from magnet My invention relates to mechanisms of the i type "used for operating semaphore signals,

is devised for the special purpose ofoperating semaphores ina-norinal clear signalingsystem. While of this special relation however, I desire it to be understood in} the beginning that my invention may be adapted to use in other systems, such as F normal danger systems without departing in any wise from its generic spirit.

Furthermore the character of the semaphore as a signal is also immateriahinasmuch as any known form ofsemaphore, or other eq iva t ev c ay b p a y y semaphore operating mechanism.

Ac o ding to y i n ion the semaphore arm is biased by gravity or other means to one of its indicating positions, and is moved by suitable motor power to anotherof itsindicating positions, such for instance as danger or clear positions respec-' tively. The mechanism through which these movements are permitted in the one case and efie te n. th h r is W on itut s my- The semaphore arm is biased by gravity to'one of its positions and motor driven through a clutchdevice, a mutilated invention.

driving gear, and a pair of pinions driven each in the same direction and'engaging said driving gear alternatelyto another of ts positions, The details-of" myinvention through which these devices are used; in the embodiment which I shall describe are made effective in their cooperation to produce the results stated, andwill appearmore clearly when described 1n. connectlon with a the drawings. Here it mayhestated that in so far asthe mutilated gear and driving pinions are concerned, any'equivalent' gear having driving. and non-drivingparts adapted to be engagedby the driving pinions or equivalent devices may be used in lieu thereof.

Referring to the drawings:- Figu-re 1 shows in elevation one form of the mecha-' nism of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a simi- Speciiioation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 141,319 315.

Application filed Eebruary 29,1912. Serial No. 680,769.

lar view showing a modification of the form ofFig. 1.

The semaphore arm S is mounted on a semaphore shaft 8. Mounted on the shaft 8 and disconnected therefrom is the driving gear D. This driving gear is provided with abutments on one oi its faces in the form of pins 70, spaced at regular intervals, and coasting with these abutments p is a catch through 90 as clearly shown by Figs. 1

and-'2, and the abutments p to. this end are spaced by intervals of 120, intervals greater than 90 by 80. Secondly the electromagnet mas respects the armature which it carries, is movable: from a position in which its armature is biased, in this case by gravity, away from its poles to a position in which said armature is biased toward the poles, independently of magnetic pull. The advantages accruing from these structural teatures of my invention will readily be apparent when the operation is considered.

The driving gear D; is a mutilated gear, the gear having several teeth removed at points equidistant from each other as clearly showninFig. 1. Any suitable driving motor R may be used to. drive this gear. Driving connection. is made with the gear D by means olia centrally fixed driving pinion N, which drives the two pinionsll and N each the. same direction. The driving gear N is fixed in position to. engage the teeth of the gear- D, while the pinion N is shiftably mounted,'and movable about the aXis of; the central pinion into and out of en gagement with the gear D. A spring 9 normally biases the pinion N toward engaging catch arm a in its clutching or connecting.

position, and the gear D and with it the semaphore S and the magnet 917. connected with the semaphore shaft 8, haveibeen ro-' driving portion of the gear D.

tated clockwise until the pinion N has be- 7 come juxtaposed to a multilated or non- At this point the driving motor may have its power supply cut off in any suitable manner, and

-' the semaphore willbe held at clear owing to the engagement of pinion N with the non-driving. portion of the gear D. W/Vhen. thesignal is desired setat danger as is normally the case in the normal danger systems, the magnet m is deenergized where- I upon its armature is drawn by'gravity im mediately toward the vertical position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The catch arm a is therefore releasedand the semaphore arm S falls 90 to the danger position by virtue of the force exerted on the weight V,

although the weight of the semaphore arm alone may be made su'liicient for this purpose. The gear D during this time remains stationary, being held locked in this position by the pinions 1 1 and N the pinion N having been released to engage with the gear D through the counterclockwise movement of the sweep E. The positions of the parts are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

. The magnet m has been revolved counterclockwise withthe semaphore, and its armature A, which was removed from its face upon its deenergization, is now restored toits face by reason of the rotation. In this position the end of the armature e engages again with the catch 0 and the catch arm a "is in position for co-aotion with one of the abutments p. The nearest abutment howeveris 30 removed from it. If. it is desired to move the signal to clear. the magnetm is energized, retaining its armature A in posltion and holdmg the catch. a 1n engaging position, and the motor R is supplied with power. Owing to the presence of the" gear N juxtaposed to a multilated portion of the gear, this pinion cannot initiate move-i ment of the driving gear, but the pinion N which engages the driving gear at this time,

' can and does initiate such movement.

The

' driving gear is moved thereby 'approxi-.

mately 30 or less until the catch arm a; is engaged by one of the abutments p, and

then further until the sweep E disengages the pinion N and engages pinion N with gear D, the mutilated portion of the gear having at this time passed the gear N and still further until the pinion N engages :re the nextv successive mutilated non-driving portion of the. gear D, a total movement of 120, whereupon motion of the semaphore ceases Without I shock and the motor It maybe cut out. It is especially to be noted in this connection, that theiintervalbetween the gears N and N is shorter than to any of the intervals between the] mutilated portions of'the gear D. By rea son of this fact, no matter which of the 86 non-driving portions of the gear is engaged by one of the gears N the other of the pinions N is always opposite the driving pore tion of the gear. i

The modification of Fig. 2 difiers, from the form of Fig.1, first in that the catch arm a is connected to-the end 6 of the armature by means of a hinged joint. The weight I of the armature A may be readily insuffi cient to interfere with theproper passage 90 of the arm a by the engaged abutment 70 without hindrance. Secondly'the gears N and N instead of being mounted one on a fixed frame Z and the otherona'movable' frame Z are both -mounted on a common frame L shiftable about the axis of the central pinion N. The pinions N and'N are rocked alternately into engagement with the driving gear D, the engagement of the pinion N being efiected to initiate engagement 1% after the gear N has cometo a mutilated portion of the gear D, and the gear N being simultaneously removed from its engaging position, A dog (Z prevents backward rotation at any time. i A similar dog d may 1% be used in connection with the device of Fig. 1 if desired 7 While I have described-the two best forms of my invention now known to me, I do not desire to be limited to these two forms only. I desire to cover in the annexedclaims all forms which my invention may be given without departing from its basic nature.

. It is to be noted that my'invention is y especially adapted for use on a closed cirsuit electrical system, in which the electromagnet m orequivalent controlling device is normally energized. In the embodiments disclosed, this would constitute a normal clear signaling system, and. if. current was cut off the line. when thesignal was at clear, it would immediately drop to danger position. I .7 j

Having thus described my invention, what 9 I claim and desire; to secure by Letters Patk5 ent is w 1. A semaphore signal comprising a semaphore, and intermittently operating driving; means ftherefor comprising a gear having driving and non-driving portions, and cooperating driving elements, each movable non-driving portion of said gear to cause the other driving element to coact with the driving portion of said gear.

2. A semaphore signal comprising a semaphore, and intermittently operating driving means therefor comprising a mutilated driving gear, and driving pinions driven each in the same direction and engaging said mutilated gear alternately.

3. A semaphore signal comprising a semaphore, and intermittently operating driving means, comprising a driving gear for the shaft mutilated at intervals, and a pair of driving pinions driven each in the same direction and engaging said mutilated gear alternately at points spaced by an interval unequal to the intervals between the mutilated portions of the said driving gear.

4;. A semaphore signal comprising an operating shaft, a semaphore carried by the same and intermittent driving means for the same comprising a mutilated driving gear for the shaft, and a pair of driving pinions driven each in the same direction, one of which is normally fixed in position to engage said driving gear, and the other of which is moved to engage said gear when the said fixed pinion is disengaged by juxtaposition to a mutilated portion of the driving gear.

5. A semaphore signal comprising an operating shaft, a semaphore carried by the same, and intermittent driving means for the same comprising a mutilated driving gear for the shaft, and a pair of driving pinions driven each in the same direction, one of which is normally fixed in position to engage said driving gear, and the other of which is normally out of engaging position and adapted to be moved thereto, and means dependent upon predetermined move ments of the semaphore to effect the engagement and disengagement of the movable pinion.

6. A semaphore signal comprising an operating shaft, a semaphore carried by the same, and intermittent driving means for the same comprising a mutilated driving gear for the shaft, and a pair of driving pinions driven each in the same direction, one of which is normally fixed in position to engage said driving gear, and the other of which is a shiftable gear, means biasing the latter gear into engaging position, and shifting means dependent for movement upon predetermined movement of the semaphore and acting when the semaphore is in one position to retain said gear disengaged, and when in another to permit engagement of the same.

7. A semaphore signal comprising an operating shaft, a semaphore carried by the same, and intermittent driving means for the same comprising a mutilated driving gear for the shaft, and a pair of driving pinions driven each in the same direction, a common driving pinion therefor, one of said pinions being fixed in position to engage said driving gear and the other being shiftable about said driving'pinion axis into and out of driving engagement with said driving gear, and shifting means dependent for movement on predetermined movements of said semaphore for effecting said engagement of the shiftable gear.

8. A semaphore signal comprising a semaphore, and intermittently operating driving means therefor comprising a mutilated driving gear disconnected from the semaphore, and driving pinions driven each in the same direction and engaging said mutilated gear alternately, and means for controlling the connection of the driving gear with the semaphore.

9. A semaphore signal comprising a semaphore, and intermittently operating driving means therefor comprising a mutilated driving gear, and driving pinions driven each in the same direction and engaging said mutilated gear alternately, regular spaced abutments carried by said driving gear, the intervals between abutments being greater than the eifected movement of the semaphore in any instance, and means coacting with said abutments to effect driving connections of said driving gear with said semaphore.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES W. WARD.

WVitnesses:

G. M. RAUsoHnRT, JAs. B. Hoes.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

